News

Park School Faculty and Students Partner with Community for Dramatic
Reading of Frederick Douglass’ Speech

In the words of Frederick Douglass: " We have to do with the past only as we can make it useful to the present and the future."

Ithaca College’s Roy H. Park School of Communications will be supporting The History Center, in partnership with the St. James A.M.E. Zion Church, to bring to life Frederick Douglass’ impassioned 1852 speech. A dramatic reading of Douglass’ speech will take place on Saturday, October 20, 2012 at 1 p.m. at the St. James A.M.E. Zion Church, 116 Cleveland Ave Ithaca, New York.

While stumping on behalf of abolitionist Gerrit Smith in his bid for Congress, Douglass visited a number of areas in Central and Upstate New York, delivering impassioned speeches excoriating the inability of politicians to address the evils of slavery and describing a post-slavery America based on the core ideals of opportunity, equality, and democracy.

With this, Gossa Tsegaye, assistant professor in the Department of Media Arts, Studies and Sciences, will be producing and directing the live reading with a crew of 15 Ithaca students and several Park School Technical Operations staff members. Tsegaye hopes to produce an edited DVD of the dramatic reading that could be used in local classrooms and libraries.

This initiative is generously funded by the Park Foundation.

Individuals with disabilities requiring accommodation should contact the St. James A.M.E. Zion Church.